Statement from Labour Councillors-Fightback

A STATEMENT FROM LABOUR COUNCILLORS FIGHTBACK — RESIST THE COUNCIL’S CUTS

THE LABOUR GROUP GOES FOR TORY CUTS

In order to bridge this year's £12 million budget gap, the Labour Group is implementing a package of cuts which includes :

* A Freeze on all vacancies - approximately 900 jobs ;

* No renewal of temporary contracts - approximately 300 jobs ;

* The ending of current Council/Union agreements ;

* A freeze on harmonization ;

* A cut in overtime .

The right wing in the Labour Group believes that in addition to these

euts there should also be a 3% cut across the board .

The Labour Group on the Council are to introduce a second cuts package in the autumn which will include :

* A 5% cut across the board in the Voluntary Sector ;

* Redundancies ;

* And whatever measures are deemed necessary to "balance the books" .

Next year, the budget deficit will increase to £60 million . The scale of euts needed to bridge this deficit is unimaginable .

Despite planning and implementing cuts in jobs and services, the Council leadership expects to have a joint campaign against the Tory Government !!! The Tories are planning laws which will :

* Make Council housing self-financing ;

* Introduce compulsory tendering of services 3; * Allow estates to be sold off ;

* Introduce a poll-tax .

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE : DON'T VOTE YOURSELF OUT OF A JOB 2!!!

The Council leadership has refused to say when they will resist either financial pressures or Tory legislation . They have given no guarantee to the local Labour Party, the Council Unions, or the community groups, that eventually "enough will be enough" . Everything suggests that they have no intention of resisting cuts, and no intention of organising a campaign to resist Tory attacks

on council jobs and services . *

It is for the above reasons that we do not support the Labour Group package of cuts, and neither can we ask the Unions and Community Organisations to support them . We believe that only

by immediate resistance of the Labour Party, the Unions and Community Organisations will the Council be forced to reconsider its position, and begin the essential task of uniting, organising and fighting both financial and legislative attacks .

Only by opposing any cuts in jobs and services now, do we have a chance of defeating the drastic measures that the Tories are preparing .

COUNCILLORS KATE ALLEN, STEVE BEVINGTON, ANGELA BIRTILL, CAROLINE HOLDING, SANDRA PLUMMER, GRAHAM SHURETY, ADRIAN STATES, KAREN NEWBURY, GLORIA LAZENBY